Don't Tempt Me
by Msz Thang
Summary: 6 years after the fall of No. 6, Sion is a man, a boyfriend, a leader, and a father. Being a parent is hard, but being a single working parent is even harder. Just as Shion is getting the hang of things, balancing family, work, and leisure, his first love pops backs into his life, expecting everything to be the same. But the only thing that's constant is change. [Post-series]


**A/N: **Mwuhahaaa! Starting a short story about one of my favorite pairings.. probably a twoshot or something like that.. Hope you enjoy. Remember review, read, and the whole SHIBANG. I created two characters for my enjoyment/plot line. Hope ya don't mind. OOC for Sion. I spell Sion's name with the h and his son's name with the h. If it is confusing, lemme know.

* * *

Sion sat on a bright, red, plastic mini-chair, tapping his leg patiently on the tiled floor. He picked up this habit whenever he knew he or one of his own were in trouble. Growing up in No. 6, Sion was never in trouble.. except for that one time. The seat was was too small for his 5'10 frame, but there were only kid-sized chairs lining the hallway outside the principal's office. Fumes could be seen coming out of Sion's ears as he tried desperately to keep his emotions in check while at his son's school. _I do not raise him to act like this! _He angrily thought. He quickly attempted to divert his thoughts away from the reason he had to leave work early and come to the local primary school to meet with the infamously strict principal. He quickly glanced over at the small television across the hall and read the headlines: _Last utopia, No. 1, fallen by URA (Utopia Resistance Army); new government to be instated in coming weeks._

Sion raised his hand to his chest. No more heart palpitations at the news of another victory. He checked his forehead. No more arbitrary headaches when thinking about the resistance army. No more debilitating illnesses at the thought of his old companion.. friend.. whatever you want to call what they had which ended as quickly as it started. Sion breathed deeply and smiled to himself for a brief moment. The civil wars were finally over, it seems. The reason his world was turned upside down so many times ceased to exist. Perhaps he can truly begin to enjoy the normalcy he has created for himself without the thought of another unexpected event burning it all to the ground.

Sion's son, Shion, sat next to the newly relaxed man in his own green chair with an ice pack to his swollen forehead staring at his father. The little boy barely saw his father as at ease as he seemed to be in this moment. Shion hesitated before saying anything.. Maybe if he didn't interrupt than he'd be let off the hook. He then remembered that they were sitting outside the devil principal's office. No way out but out.

"She started it, I swear!" He declared for the umpteenth time and Sion smacked his lips in annoyance, returning to his uptightness. He stared at the wall in front of him while he licked his lips and scrunched his eyebrows.

"That's not the point, Shion," He said, not taking his eyes away from the wall in front of him, "We don't resort to violence."

"But-"

"But nothing. We will discuss this more when we get home," Sion said firmly ending the conversation. The 21 year old rubbed his temples gently, trying to subside a fierce headache creaping up his skull. His workday was particularly rough, and this sudden meeting with his child's principal did not help anything. Sion was overworked, stressed out, and down right tired.

A woman in a dress suit opened the door labeled "Principal" with a notepad in her manicured hands. Sion remembered when his nails used to be that well-kept, some 10 years ago.

"Shion & Sachiko!" She called out, looking up to see only the little boy whom she called and his anxious adoptive father. She sighed and gestured them inside the cramped office where four chairs faced her desk. She sat down in comfy leather office chair while Sion and Shion sat in the wooden chairs closest to the window.

"Have you seen Sachiko, Shion?" The 6 year old shook his head furiously, his brown tresses hitting him in the face as he gazed out the window nervously. The older Sion raised his hand to his son forehead and adjusted the ice pack to its rightful place over the small, red, swollen bump. The woman sighed again and looked at Sion.

"Well, let's start."

Sion nodded and braced himself for the worst: expulsion. Sion was accustomed to bad news: no more privileged living, never returning to No. 6, no more nights spent reading Hamlet with-

"Shion's behavior in his homeroom class has been unacceptable," The stern woman started and Sion nervous tapped his foot on the floor Shion was just as nervous, his thighs shaking as well. "He has been disruptive, throwing objects and attacking other students; he has even declared a girl in his class, Sachiko, his mortal enemy when she ask him to be quiet during nap time! This type of behavior cannot con-"

Three quick knocks on the door jolted everyone out of their seats. The principal stood up, adjusted herself, and opened the door.

"Ah, Sachiko. Nice for you to join us. You're her mother, I presume," The principal said, opening the door wider. Shion gasped at the sight of his dog-loving friend.

"Inukashi? What are you doing here?"

Inukashi smirked and collapsed into the seat next to Shion. "Hey, Junior!" Inukashi said and high-fived the 1st-grader sitting next to his father. Shion's face expanded into a grin at the sight of Inukashi. He giggled a bit before going silent, lying his eyes on a little girl sitting next to Inukashi.

"I'm her foster parent for the time being," Inukashi casually explained and Sion almost laughed aloud.

"Foster parent? You're a foster parent?" Sion asked, incredulous, "Seriously, what are you doing?"

Inukashi shot Sion a dirty look before reiterating, " I am the little brat's foster parent. The damn committee and their stupid No Child Left Behind Act crap dropped her off at my door last week."

Sion curbed his chuckling and replied, "You had a choice whether or not to become a foster parent, Inukashi."

"But when money is involved, you know I can't look away," Inukashi grinned widely, and Sachiko squirmed in the seat next to her foster parent. Sion could sense that the little black-haired girl was uncomfortable with the conversation. The principal cleared her throat loudly, directing all eyes to where she was seated.

"Since all parties are here with their respective... guardians, we can proceed. What I was explaining to Shion's father is that our schools does not tolerate this behavior from either student. I understand that Shion may have provoked you daughter, Ms.. Mr.."

"Inukashi," The peeved person curtly corrected the confused woman.

"Inukashi... Well Sachiko decided to push Shion into a table and destroyed the class' spring projects!"

"Oh c'mon, it's not even spring," Inukashi muttered, looking away. The principal clenched her teeth at Inukashi's indifference. Sion made sure to jump in and defuse the situation.

"Well, I can reassure you Shion will be reprimanded when we get home."

"Good, and what about Sachiko?" Everyone turn to Inukashi when the question arose.

"I'll make her wash all the dogs."

"What?!" Sachiko shouted, causing everyone to jump except Inukashi.

"Shut up. You're the reason we're here in the first place.. Hmph... always causing trouble"

"I hate you!" Sachiko screamed at the dog-lover, and bolted out of the room in sudden tears. Inukashi's expression didn't change yet Sion's heart cried out for the little girl. He could not begin to understand what the little girl may be going through. He always had his mother to take care of him and little Shion was his main priority; he always had someone to care for and be cared by, but she had no one.

"Ugh. I guess we're done here," Inukashi announced dismissively, standing up and briskly watching out the room too.

Shion looked up at his father and shrugged; Sion looked down and shrugged in return. The both stood up, confused and exited the room after nodding to the principal. Sion sighed, taking his son's smalls hand in his own and walked down the hallway slowly; the little boy's pitter-patter soothed his previously raging headache. The words "Victory" and "URA" followed him internally as he and his precious son walked home.

* * *

"But DAD!" Shion screamed, and Sion sighed, folding his arms across his chest after he hanged his jacket by the door. Little Shion's jacket still adorned his shoulders while he pouted up at his adopted father. Sion had just told the little boy that he was grounded for a week. The 6-year-old did not appreciate that announcement and threw a micro-tantrum as soon as the adult closed the front door to their small apartment. Sighing heavily, Sion kicked off his boots and pushed them under the coat rack with his foot. He circumvented his angry son and walked over to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"But nothing; start your homework." Sion's stern voice left no room for negotiation, and Shion swung his book bag off his shoulders, shrugged off his own matching jacket, and hung the article of clothing next to his fathers on a shorter hook made especially for his short height. He picked up his bag again and walked over to the kitchen table which was pushed up against the wall opposite of the wall of appliances where Sion was busy pouring rice into a pot and pulling a back of tofu out of the freezer. Shion sat down at one of the danky wooden chairs with a blue cushion on the seat and quietly pulled out his homework.

Both people worked silently on their tasks for a few minutes before Sion announced that dinner was ready. He quickly shared out the food between two people while leaving some for a third in the pot. He set Shion's bowl in front of him, and the little boy quickly discarded his math homework and reached for his fork. Sion chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm, reminding him of the days when he was so excited to have such a full bowl in front of him because he was so accustomed to life without it. He sat down opposite his young son and cleared him throat.

"Shion, what do we say?"

"Uh... thank you?" Shion asked, mouth stuffed with rice, vegetables. and seasoned tofu.

Sion stared at his son for a moment, relishing in his cuteness. He smiled at the little boy and shook his head. The two ate while talking about their days; Shion's was full of talks about the mean Sachiko and her gang of friends while Sion complained about certain committee members and the quick and overwhelming progress they've made rebuilding No.6 and the surrounding neighborhoods. Sion always made a point to talk to his son about his work on the committee in charge of running the county, which he considered very important to his life and family.

Sion's role as Committee Member of Health & Human Services puts him in charge of providing health services to all people of the 5-year-old No. 6. Ever since the secrets about the old utopia came spilling out, Sion has found himself neck-high in responsibilities pertaining to his background in Ecology. He quickly started studying medicine and politics while raising his then infant son to be the best father and leader he could possibly be. Taking the boy in his care was not only a promise to his late mother but a promise to himself that he would take charge of his life and turn things around so that no one would feel so much hatred toward No. 6 that they'd want to leave the city... or him.

DING DONG!

"I'll get it!" Shion shouted, bouncing out of his chair and over to the front door. Sion sat there at the table amused, knowing who exactly his son was so excited to find out about. He watched Shion unlock the door and tug it open to reveal a taller man with brown hair and dark brown eyes who happens to serve as the committee member of Education. He adjusted his glasses as he saw Sion sitting across the apartment in the kitchen and then looked down at Shion who was staring at him intently.

"Fumio."

"Hi there, Shion!" The man said to the little boy, patting him on the head and stepping into the apartment. Little Shion eyed the man before closing the door behind him and walking back over to his seat while Fumio took off his coat and hung it with the rest of the jackets. Sion smiled as he watched his co-worker get comfortable and stood from his place at the table, ignoring how sullen his son had gotten.

"Hungry?" He asked, and Fumio nodded, walking over to the table and sitting down between the two residents. Sion shared the rest of the food onto another plate and placed it into of Fumio, who began to eat as soon as he saw his favorite meal. Shion ate quietly as the two men kept glancing at each other for a long time before speaking.

"So how's-"

"What's goin-"

They both started and stopped at the same time. Little Shion just kept eating, ignoring the usual awkward antics between the two. Sion was the first to chuckle and say something first. He set his fork down into his plate. He brushed an annoyingly long white strand of hair out of his face and behind his ear, feeling Fumio's eyes watching him.

"Didn't see you in the office today."

"Had to do some field work," Fumio said, and at Sion's inquiring look, he grinned.

"Visit some schools on my routine check-ups."

"Oh."

"Why were you going to schools?" Shion said suddenly. Fumio looked at his colleague before glancing over at the little boy.

"I'm like the principal of all schools!" Fumio feigned how exciting his job actually was, and Shion's eyebrow raised at his simple statement. The man was always treating Shion like your average 6-year-old without picking up that his father never talked down to him like that. He may only be in kindergarten, but Shion was a very ahead of his age. Shion knew exactly what his father's peer did for a living; he knew his responsibilities and job description. Sion eyed his son as Shion eyed the other man. Glancing over at his father, Shion shot the man a quick scowl and Sin sent a pleading look the young boy's way.

"You should fire my principal!" Shion exclaimed, and the two men laughed aloud: one genuinely, one nervously. Shion stared at them, serious, and Fumio wiped the laughing tears from his eyes at the statement and calmed down a bit. He was unbeknownst to the little boy's severe dislike for his principal.

"I can't do that, Shion. She is a great principal; perhaps if you weren't such a troublemaker, you'd see less of her," Fumio teased. Silence befell on the group. Both son and father looked at the visitor with rather different looks; Shion excused himself from the table swiftly, taking his bowl and utensil with him. Within a few seconds, he was already upstairs in his room finishing his meal and his homework while Fumio stared at his empty seat. Sion sighed deepyl a few times before going back to his plate as well.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Let's not talk about it, Fumio."

After a silent meal, Sion quickly washed the dishes as Fumio stretched out on the small love seat in the living room and watched the national news. Soon after drying the dishes and placing them neatly back into the cabinets, Sion lay himself next to the other man and propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. News of the No. 1's police's surrender to the URA was the top story. Pictures and videos of the conflict had been covered over all news channels for the past 6 months since the swift fall of No. 2 beforehand. Sion had been a religious follower, as he has been of each utopian conflict since the fall of the first.. his former home. Lately, however, his interest has been waning since he realized that soon the URA would eliminate all perfect cities by exposing their secrets to the world.

"I wonder what the URA will do now that all the cities have fallen," Fumio said, turning the volume of the television down a bit as he spoke. "I hope they don't come back to where they started. We have enough unrest as is."

Sion glanced over to him and noticed that the other man was sitting closer than he had measured when he sat down on the couch. Fumio watched the newscast in silence as Sion studied his face. Fumio was attractive to say the least: tall with broad shoulders and gentle features. He was intelligent and compassionate too, reforming the educational system of No. 6 to be more comprehensive for all classes and abilities. The pretentious benefits Sion and his mother lived off for 12 years no longer existed and were replaced by more reasonable ones earned by various different talents, not just scores on a standardized test. Fumio truly was a catch, Sion thought.

"Whatcha staring at?" Fumio said, chuckling as he leaned closer to Sion. A blush crept up Sion's throat and face as he realized how long he had been gazing at the other man.

"Sorry," he stammered out, and Fumio smirked leaning back into the couch when he was a few minutes ago.

"Nothing to apologize for," he replied. He picked up the remote and turned off the television. In the silence, the tension between them grew thicker; this week had been grueling on both of them and either have had time to relax as they were right now... in each other's presence. Sion cleared his throat and stood up; Fumio watched him with a disappointed expression.

"I'll get Shion ready for bed."

"Do you want me to come u-"

"No."

Fumio was taken aback by Sion's fervent reply. He looked up at the white-haired man expectantly. Sion hesitated before heading towards the stairs, hiding his flushed face from Fumio. He realized that the interaction between his son and Fumio would be awkward at best. Their night time routine had always been a special ritual between father and son, and Sion was certain that little Shion was not prepared to share that with Fumio, despite how time he tried to spend with the little boy. And if Sion were honest with himself, he was not prepared to sleep next to anyone either. He has just become accustomed to sleep alone, and did not want another people to waltz into his life and steal his peace.. again.

"Stay here, okay?"

"Okay," Fumio said evenly, "I'll wait here."

Sion made his trek upstairs and down the hall to his son's room where the brightness of the lamp by his desk shone through the cracks in the doors. He knocked on the door twice before entering the small room and seeing his son collapsed on his bed, asleep. He stopped when his foot hit the small boy's back pack on the ground. He picked it up from the floor, zipped it up, and placed it on the chair. He walked over to the bed, stepping over various toys and crafts gingerly, careful not to ruin any of his son's creations or wake the little boy as getting him to sleep was always a challenge. He approached the bed, tugged the blankets out from under the sleeping child, and cascaded them over his son. Shion had already changed into his pajamas, for which Sion was thankful. Sion leaned down and planted a quick kiss on Shion's forehead before reaching over to the small desk by the bed and switching off the lamp. Sion left the new dark room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him.

When Sion returned to the first floor and walked into the quiet living room, Fumio was still sitting on the love seat, staring at the black screen of the dead television. Sion stared at the back of the educator's head from the stairs; the voices of the news anchors announcing another victory for the resistance echoed through his brain, and for a moment he could've sworn Fumio's brown tresses seemed darker.. almost black. He quickly discarded the thought. The white haired man made his way over to the other man and stood in front of him for a few seconds. Fumio then stood to his feet and looked down at the slightly shorter Sion. His hand reached up and brushed back that persistent white strand from Sion's face before he leaned in and left a slow and deliberate kiss on his colleague's lips. Sion's eyes flutter closed as he reacted to the kiss and slowly opened once the familiar pair of lips left his.

"I've been waiting to do that all night," Fumio whispered, still caressing Sion's cheek with his hand.

"More like all week," Sion said, smiling and leaning into the warm hand.

"Really? You've seemed distant lately," Fumio said, using his other hand to massage Sion's sore shoulder.

Guilt flashed across Sion's face; he stepped closer to the taller man and wrapped his arms around his waist. He has been distant, even he recognized that. The 6 year anniversary of the new No. 6 is rapidly approaching, and every year around this time Sion withdrew from everyone except his small family. After all these years, I have yet to recover, he thought wistfully. This year, however, seemed especially poignant, knowing that his indirect tracking of a certain someone through news reports of the resistance was coming to an end. With nothing to resist, the army would disband, and although Sion had no proof to think that _he_ would be a part of the movement, he just knew... in his heart he knew yet could not decided whether they'd ever see each other again.

"Stress. Shion has been getting into more trouble at school, and I'm afraid he might get himself kicked out."

Fumio drew closer to the white-haired man and sighed, breathing in his scent before pecking a kiss on his lips again. He moved his hand from Sion's shoulder to his back and rubbed gently.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," he said resolutely, and Sion feigned a sigh of relief although he knew that just the mention of his worries would cause Fumio to dispel them by looking after little Shion's situation at school. Son looked away from him, hiding yet another guilty expression; he knew he had just manipulated his peer, but it was for the betterment of his child.

"Can I stay the night?"

Sion froze, unblinkingly staring at his companion in his arms.

"Not yet. Shion might have a heart attack in the morning."

Fumio sighed and let go of the person in his embrace. The lack of warmth made Sion frown for a second before looking at him.

"You still haven't told him about us?"

Sion ran his hand through his hand, unknowingly dislodging that strand of hair form the back of his ear and letting it fall in front of his face. Fumio did not adjust it this time; he only watched disinterested and frustrated.

"It's much harder than you think."

"Really? 'I'm dating Fumio' wouldn't suffice?"

Sion cringed at Fumio's tense tone; he had never really been on the receiving end of the man's controlled outbursts, but knew that for the calm man to get like this, he must've committed a major misstep.

"I-"

"Nevermind. I'll leave. See you in the office Monday." Fumio said, placing a quicker and less exciting kiss on Sion's lips before heading towards the door. Sion knew that he should say something to the fleeing man, but found that he did not have the energy. He watched as his co-wored stepped into his shoes and slipped into his coat; Fumio hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Sion.

"Night," he said.

"Goodnight."

Sion waved at him from the same place in front of the couch. When the door closed behind Fumio, Sion finally moed and locked the door. He walked through the apartment, switching off all the lights before going upstairs to his bedroom and stripping off his clothes. He slipped under the sheets and melted into the mattress; as he drifted to sleep, the images of a No. 1 in uproar and masked figures of the URA roaming the streets played before his eyes. One figure with grey eyes glanced over at the camera, and Sion felt his heart constrict.

* * *

On that Sunday night, Sion woke up to a golden retriever barking in his ear at dawn. His eyes shot open at the canine looming over his body, wagging her tail excitedly at his awakening. He groaned and turning over, pushing the dog off of his body and on the other side of the bed.

"Tell Inukashi I said no, no, no, no, no," he said to the dog, although she only stared at him and began to bark again after his snores alerted her to his falling asleep. Sion sighed and sat up abruptly, taking the dog by surprise and shutting her up.

"Fine! What does Inukashi want at this hour?" He asked, brushing aside the shades to his window and saw nothing but darkness. The dog barked once lowly, her way of telling Sion that Inukashi requested him at the dog hotel. Sion stared at the canine in disbelief.

"No!"

"Woof!"

"Noooooooo," he whined.

"WOOF!" The dog was starting to become impatient, Sion noticed.

"Fine, but not more barking. You wouldn't want to wake my son, would you?" Sion asked, swinging his feet off the bed and standing up to stretch. The dog sat obediently on the bed, watching Sion slide into a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. He left the room, went over to Shion's room and peeked in. The boy was sound asleep, thank goodness. Sion debated dragging the boy along with him, but decided against it.

"Watch him," He ordered the dog who had followed him out of his room. The retriever growled lowly, walked into the dark room, and lied down at the side of Shion's bed, ears perked and facing the door. Satisfied, Sion grabbed his keys and threw on his coat; she stepped into his shoes and closed the door behind him as he existed. He quickly locked the door, too, and left the apartment building in swift motions, curious why the dog-lover was summoning him at this hour and anxious to be back in his bad. He walked through the dimly lit streets of West Book comfortably; the committee member of Security has done a great job ensuring that the crime infested area was cleaned up, and Sion's popularity among the residents didn't hurt his confidence in his safety either.

As he arrived at the ever popular dog hotel, he shivered at the sight of various men, women, and children huddled up against groups of canines for warmth. He made a note to talk to the rest of the committee about how to provide adequate heating for the people of West Block in this time of the year, winter, although he was sure his dog-loving friend wouldn't be too happy about the business being obsolete. Sion made another note to get his enterprising friend into another business as soon as possible. He entered the building and watched down the stairs hidden by a old piano to Inukashi's dwelling. The underground geature kept the home warm, which Sion noted, unzippping his coat as he opened the door leading into the space.

"Sion! Finally!" Inukashi exclaimed, walking up to the man with crying little Sachiko in toe. Her blakc hair was matted at the top from lack of care, and her dress that Sion had seen her in a few days ago was covered in dog poop and hair. She braced a soiled teddy bear to her chest as she gazed up at Sion with tears streaming down her face. Sion bend down to his knees and hugged the little girl, holding her to his chest as he glared up at his friend.

"Inukashi, what's-"

"Take'em," Inukashi stated, picking up a bright pink bag from the ground next to the door and thrusting it into Sion's unsuspecting arms. Sion looked down at the bag of children's clothing and toys before protesting.

"Inukash-"

"Me and the dogs can't take her, Sion! If she stays here one more night, I will strangle her in her sleep, I swear!"

"Then why did you sign yourself up for this responsibility?" Sion asked, suddenly furious, "This is a child's life, Inukashi! How would you feel if someone gave me a puppy and I left it in a ditch somewhere?"

Inukashi cringed at the scenario Sion depicted and sighed heavily.

"Look, I know this is messed up, but I called the best parent I know! It'll only be for a couple months, and I'll even give you a share of the checks I'm gettin-"

"I don't care for the money, Inukashi!"

Sion patted the back of Sachiko, who had calmed down once her caretaker was being reprimanded. He stood up, swung the Sachiko's bag of belongs over his shoulder, and grabbed the little girl's hand into his own. Suddenly guilty, Inukashi tried to speak, but Sion held his hand up in front of the hustler's face.

"Where is your coat, Sachiko?"

The little girl pointed to the pile of clothes behind the door, and Sion sighed annoyingly. He kicked a few articles of clothing away until he spotted a bright purple winter coat. He gestured for Sachiko to put it on and she obediently did. Inukashi watched nervously.

"I'll take her, Inukashi, but you promise not to sign yourself up for another of these programs, okay?"

"Oh, you don't have to tell me twice."

Sion yanked open the door frustratingly and held out his hand for Sachiko to grab; without hesitation the little girl held onto the young man's inviting and warm hands and followed him back to his cozy apartment, which lacked the potent smell of dog fur and poop. Sion washed the little girl up awkwardly, having never bathed a female before, and dressed her for bed. He set her up in his full-sized bed and read to her one of Shion's favorite bedtime stories. The trick worked in a few minutes and she was passed out. He quickly checked on his son and let the dog out of his apartment.

"Tell Inukashi to go to hell!" Sion called after the retriever, who trotted happliy down the stairs and out of his sight as if to say "Good luck, sucker!" Sion then spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position on the couch to sleep.

* * *

Sion bit his lip, scribbling his signature on yet another proposal to open a makeshift hospital in the middle of West Block. Despite his efforts, this section of the county still did not have adequate access to healthcare.. or at least to Sion's high standards. If the former elite in No. 6 had a hospital in their neighborhood than why couldn't the former grub of society who were now their equals? Despite his efforts, the modest hospital's creation has been shot down every time Sion presents it in front of the county hall meetings, which are populated by none other than the very snobs who benefit from having the only hospital in all the county. The people of the more destitute areas do not have the time or the know-how to participate in the meetings, thus they do not attend, leaving the very important summits to be dominated by the those who are still in the top income brackets and can afford to take time off to keep their position on top. A very fair and democratic process has transformed into another form of aristocracy like it was 6 years ago. Sion sighed a loud. Perhaps if I beg, he thought.

His secretary popped her head in through the doorway to his office and announced that he should head over to the meeting, which is due to start in 10 minutes. Sion thanked her for the reminder, as without it he would've definitely missed it. His mind was running a mile-a-minute; this morning had been a complete travesty when Shion was told that Sachiko would be living with them for the next couple of months. The white-hairs man had never seen his son throw that large of a tantrum before. Little Sachiko was no immune, however, and she burst out into tears the moment Shion laid his angry eyes on her. Getting them both ready for school was more challenging than any task with which he had ever been faced. When he had finally dropped them both off at school, Shion's shirt was ripped in two places, and the braids Sion painstakingly wove into Sachiko's hair had come undone. He quickly gathered all the materials for the meeting into his briefcase and walked out the office, down the hallway, and to the left when he bumped into a bigger body.

"Oof!" The air was knocked ffom Sion's body as he started to fall backward, but a pair of strong arms caught him and pulled him upright. Fumio grinned down at him. As Sion was still recovering from the near-fall, Fumio glances around to see if they were alone in the corridor and placed a chaste kiss on the white-haired man's lips. Sion looked up at him, surprised.

"Fumio!"

"I've missed you."

"Me too," Sion said, glancing around nervously. He wasn't necessarily in the closet, he just wasn't too keen on letting anyone know about his budding relationship with the committee member of Education.

"Where are you going?"

"Meeting on the new hospital, again."

Fumio frowned for a moment and lifted up Sion's falling chin.

"I'm sure if you move the location, they'd agree," he suggested lowly, and Sion scoffed, shaking his chin from the other man's grasp and looking away.

"That defeats the whole purpose!"

Fumio paused as Sion's face turned a slight red, realizing that he hit another hot button topic within 3 days. Sion sighed and glared back at the brown-eyed man.

"Let's not talk about it then.. Wanna grab dinner later?"

"Can't. It is left-over night at my Mom's," Sion lied. He debated telling Fumi about Sachiko but decided against it.

Fumio let out a disappointed sigh and nodded. He kissed Sion once again on the lips before departing to his very own meeting. Sion left out a sigh of relief once the man was out of an earshot and continued down the corridor and into the meeting hall. He walked down the isle separating the room into two and stepped up on the platform where the residing committee member stood behind a podium. He shuffled his papers around, pretending to be busy while the rest of the people attending filed into the room. A lot more people had arrived compared to lat time, Sion noted inwardly. He banged a steel gavel he kept in his briefcase on the podium and the room fell silent.

"The meeting starts now," he announced in his official public speaking voice, which he practices in front of the mirror each morning. He has almost perfect it, had there not been a slight tremble underlying his confidence. "The affirmative requests a temporary inpatient hospital in section..."

He droned on for a few minutes, rereading a proposal most people in the room had heard dozens of times before. He looked up occasionally from his reading to see some dozing off while other sat anxiously, ready to voice their approval or disapproval.

"Now we shall listen to the affirmative and opposition make their official statements and being the dialogue."

Two members of the opposing sides stood up; the side obviously from West Block supported the creation of the hospital, citing increased work-related injuries from the new construction going on around the area and the long and often impossible trek to the middle of No. 6 some patients would have to make to get care. Without vehicles, which most West Block residents don't own, most people cannot make it to the hospital to treat their wounds. He also cited the increasing infant moralities rates because women in cannot get to the hospital in time either. Sion kept his neutral countenance during the testimony although he heart went out for the affirmative side, as he chose to live in West Block even after becoming committee member and could witness the devastating effects not having a hospital has done to the area for more than 6 years.

When the opposition started speaking, Sion tried his best to hide his disgust; they argued that their hospital would lose money if another would be built, and that suspicious and unethical "voo-doo" doctors from West Block might be able to practice there. Sion was overwhelming disappointed yet not shocked to see most heads in the room nodding along with the false claims. He knew it was all about money and power with these people, and as long as they had it, they would do whatever to keep it. Another random audience member spoke up for the affirmative and was greeted by a fervent response by the opposition. Sion sighed, leaning his hand on his wrist as he listened to both sides make their case one by one, knowing that the decision was not ultimately his, but would be put up to a vote by those present in the room.

When Sion was about to put the proposal up to a vote, a loud knock on the double doors at the end of the room shook him out of his automated state. Without permission, whoever knocked opened the doors, and a large crowd of people poured into the room. These people were not from No. 6, Sion could observe. From their clothing to accents as they whispered, Sion knew that the massive group of people could be from no other than West Block. After most people piled in, the opposition started to protest, but Sion quickly silenced them, secretly happy and taken aback that the tables may be turned for once on this important issue.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked, looking for some type of leader-figure among the crowd that blended into the affirmative side.

"We're here to vote," a deep voice called from the doorway matter-of-factly, and Sion's neck almost snapped how fast he turned to look at the owner of the most soothing yet riveting voice he had not heard in almost 6 years. A pair of all-too familiar lips curled into a smirk as the body of the individual leaned against the doorway, a pair of silver eyes staring at the gaping-open mouth of Sion with an amused expression. A chill settle onto Sion's body as he stared, a thousand emotions flooding into him at one time. He has told himself that he had forgotten what the raven looked like, but he always knew he was lying to himself. He remembered everything: That voice that had soothed him in dangerous times, those lips that never widened big enough into a grin that he had kissde, the hair tied up into a lose ponytail that had grown longer since they last met, the lean figure that held him while they danced, and the scent of peace, safety, and home.

Water built up behind Sion's eyes, clouding his vision as he took in the sight before him and stammered out some sort of thought yet nothing was coming to him. The grey-eyed man stepped towards him, standing upright and revealing that he too had grown and maintained a few inches over the white-haired man standing shocked before him.

"Hey there, Princess," Nezumi muttered, smirking as he stood a few feet away from his old partner-in-crime.

"Nezumi," Sion whispered, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he fell to the floor. The last image he saw was that of his first love running towards him with a concerned look on his most beautiful visage.


End file.
